Editorial Review

The 2011 Coelho Spanish Edition Daily Planners are here! Paulo Coelho is not only one of the most widely read, but also one of the most influential authors writing today. With his Sabiduría (Wisdom) as a backdrop, you will receive daily inspiration from one of the masters of modern literature. ... Read more

Editorial Review

More than just an anthology of Spanish and Spanish American literature, Aproximaciones is also an introduction to literary analysis. Organized by genres (prose, poetry, drama, and the essay), it provides a rich and diverse array of reading selections. Each section is accompanied by an introduction and exercises. For the Introduction to or Survey of Peninsular and Latin American Literature courses. ... Read more

Reviews

Spanish literature made easy, May 18, 2001
Aproximaciones is a wonderful tool for the student learning about Spanish literature. The selections are well analyzed by the author and the biographies provide an overview of the cultures and perspectives of the different time periods. The chronological order of the readings makes it easy to understand the different stages of the Spanish literature and the various literary movements affecting the arts, the philosophy, and society of medieval to modern times.

From a future literary critic, January 13, 2000
This is an extremely helpful book for those who start studying literary analysis in Spanish as well as for very green literary scholars. The introduction to the special terms is easy to follow and the english equivalents are in their right places and don't distract you. Go ahead, you'll love using it in your Spanish or literary analysis class!

An interesting diverse book, September 5, 1998
The book Aproximaciones is a great book about Hispanic literature. There are short stories of narrative, and drama. I specially like the poems of many famous Hispanic authors of all time. This book is nice because if there is a hard vocabulary word, they give the other meaning of it in Spanish and sometimes in English too. Before each reading there is a little biography about the author you are going to read about It is truly a really good book, I recommend to all interested in great literature reading in Spanish.

Good resource, September 25, 2008
With the literary excerpts, the book includes a biography of the author, the times in which the author lived (which gives more depth and understanding to the piece), and footnotes of difficult vocabulary. Good resource.

Classic textbook, October 6, 2007
Very nice selection of texts, helpful biographical info about authors - everything that a textbook needs.
The only downside is the price, but it's worth the money.

Nice intro. to Spanish literature, November 9, 2006
I used this book in a class at the University of NC. I actually liked the book & the class. It gives a nice overview of different literary periods and literature written during each one. It contains poesia, drama and narrativas.

Terrific intro to literature text!, December 6, 1998
I used this book (well, an earlier edition)back in college for an Intro. to Hispanic Lit. course. It gave me a great intro. to all types of literature. This book helped me appreciate poetry, which I had never been able to "get" before.

Great, September 30, 2009
Overall great service. Arrived earlier than expected and in great condition. Even some helpful annotations.

It's a good book for spanish class, February 8, 2009
The short stories are great and it explains the literary movements in Spanish literature. I highly recommend this book for school use or light reading. Just make sure you have a dictionary handy if you're not a native speaker.

Good, thorough, and not too difficult overview of Spanish literature., September 26, 2008
This is my textbook for a Spanish literature overview class, and so far we have just gone straight through it and not required any extra materials. It is very thorough and gives a good overview in the limited space it is able to have. My one criticism would be that the informational sections feel too long and boring and needlessly detailed when it gets into long lists of literary terms, etc. Overall a good book, though. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Revised and updated with new phrases and vocabulary, new questions and answers, and new tables presenting basic English verbs, this favorite language-learning program is for Latinos in the United States and Canada who need to develop a practical, working use of spoken English, and who want to learn quickly and informally. Author William Harvey bypasses the dull rules of grammar and takes the practical route by presenting a series of informal conversations by speakers who converse in normal idiomatic American English. Emphasis is placed on correct pronunciation, and many helpful tips are offered, including short-cuts to clear spoken English expression and comprehension. Amusing cartoon-style illustrations help to convey understanding of English. ... Read more

Reviews

Perfecto!, January 10, 2007
I use this book with my Mexican boyfriend to better his SPOKEN English, and this book hits the nail right on the head. Although it's written by a "gringo", it is relatively free from grammar and translation mistakes. The style is good for the novice English learner and truly starts from one knowing NOTHING. The flow and progression of the book is more natural than some I have seen. We have finished the book twice and continue to use it for review and drills of vocabulary.

Ayuda practical para los que quieren aprender Ingl�s, August 28, 2006
Soy maestro de Ingl�s como segunda idioma, y estudiante de otras idiomas. Me considera este libro unos de los mejores que apoya a la gente rapidamente platicar en Ingl�s. No solamente esto, pero tiene tambi�n un libro que funciona al reves; se llama "Spanish for Gringos" que apoya a los gringitos que quieren aprender Espa�ol.

As a teacher of English as a second language and student of many languages, I consider this book one of the best to help brand new Spanish speaking students learn practical English phrases and skills. Not only that, for those English speakers who would like to learn more Spanish, I recommend the reverse book, "Spanish for Gringos."

Learning English can be fun!, December 17, 2002
Ingles para Latinos makes learning English enjoyable with little jokes and cute illustrations. You can listen to the tapes in the car for review. The tips on how to learn a second language are especially valuable.

An Outstanding Starter Book for Latinos Just Starting to Learn English!, February 22, 2006
[in spanish]
Soy un gringo y ya hablo, escribir, y leer espanish con 95% fluencia, y aveces tengo que ense�ar a los latinos que tenemos en nuestra fabrica, un pocos palabras de inglis para comunicar con los otro trabajadors que no hablan espanish. Y yo he encontrado esta libro ser magnifico y muy facil para aprender inglis. Los lantinos en nuestra fabrica les gusta esta libro muchismo. De todos los libros yo he encontrado y he revisado, esta libro es el mas mejor de todos. Si ya no hablas inglis, y est�s serio en aprendiendo la idioma de inglis, yo recomendo esta libro 100%

PD: ahhh otra cosa mas tambien, hay una segunda nivel a esta libro tambien. Que sigue con las ideas de esta libro, para aprender las formas de "estar". Por ejemplo para hablar de futuro, o el pasado.

[in english]
I'm a white guy who speaks, writes y reads spanish with 95% fluency, and at times I have to teach the latino workers that we have in our factory a few words of english in order to communicate with the non-spanish speaking workers. And I have found this book to be magnificent y very easy for them to learn english. All the latino workers we have in our workplace love this book. Out of all the books I have found and reviewed, this book is to be the best one out of them all. If you already don't speak english, and are serious en learning english, I recommend this book 100%

PS: Ahhh one other thing. There is a second level to this book series. That continues on where this book leaves off, following the same ideas as this book, but for learning the different parts of "being". For example talking about the future, or or the past.

In closing:
I seriously recommend to anyone, just starting out to learn english, to purchase this book. Also to those who already speak english and want to brush up on their spanish, this book is a good learning tool as well.

Much better than a generic ESL book., September 27, 2007
I teach English to adult Latinos, and the generic ESL text (i.e., a book not designed for speakers of a specific foreign language) we were using earlier was just awful. My students really love using this book, and I can absolutely notice a marked improvement in their English. One caveat is that if you are an ESL tutor or teacher, you need to have a good knowledge of Spanish in order to make proper use of this text.

Ingles para Latinos, January 8, 2007
Very helpful and clear. I have ordered 75 copies so far in the last 4 months--students find it clear and useful.

Using it to teach 20 adult ELL students, July 20, 2006
We are using this book to supplement our curriculum for 20 hispanic adults who are learning English. We have found it very useful and full of helpful tips for Spanish speakers who are learning English. A number of the students have ordered books for their personal study.

A. Oxborrow

Good book to begin, September 12, 2005
It's a good book to begin learning the language. It could use an audio aid, however...

disappointed, November 9, 2006
A friend or mine wanted to learn English and asked me to find a good book for him, after the reviews from this book I expected it to be more than it was... just little tips on how to pick up words in English.

Espa�ol/Ingl�s Compa�eros en Conversaci�n, March 10, 2002
Viene con dos cintas.
Nos gust� mucho encontrar este libro y Spanish for Gringos para usar para vocabulario in nuestro clase de pares aprendiendo ingl�s y espa�ol. (y el segundo nivel para los m�s avanzados). Desaroll� unas lecci�nes que usan los dos libros y tienen m�s pr�ctica (porque el libro es casi puro vocabulario.) A los alumnos les gustan las cintas y las explicaciones f�ciles en su misma idioma porque animan mucho. Y con un nativo para ayudarle pronunciar es a�n mejor. Est�n invitando y pidiendo copias para sus amigos. ... Read more

Reviews

Super great, March 26, 2010
I'm an intermediate level spanish student and these cards seem to give me the right level of challenge. I've worked threw a few hundred so far. They work great as a supplemental tool. Since the cards themselves do nothing to help pronunciation you have to get some audio instruction, etc to use with it. But they are great for expanding vocab and your arsenal of phrases.

Could have been 5 Stars!, March 24, 2009
Having 1000 phrases on flash cards can be very valuable to a beginner. I gave it 3 stars because it has no indication of how to pronounce the words. If they included that feature, they would have hit the ball out of the park with 5 stars!

One point of confusion for me: The listing emphasises "SPANISH EDITION". I still can't figure out what that means. It has English on one side of the card and... yup, you guessed it. ...Spanish on the other side of the card. The outside of the box is in English. So I don't know what makes this the "SPANISH EDITION" ????
No Comprendo muy bien.

GREAT IDEA!, September 7, 2010
I love these cards. Thought of making some myself until I found these on Amazon,for the price you can't beat it. Only problem is that they are heavy if you are going to take them on a trip. ... Read more

Editorial Review

This compact, inexpensive paperback thesaurus is ideal for anyone who wishes to build Spanish vocabulary. The only Spanish-language thesaurus to include Latin American regionalisms, this pocket reference is the perfect companion to the Diccionario Esencial de la Lengua Española.

• 36,000 entries
• 110,000 synonyms and 18,000 antonyms
• Numbered meanings for greater clarity and ease of use
• Clearly labeled Latin American regionalisms ... Read more

Reviews

Good pocket size reference., January 26, 2003
This is a handy pocket size dictionary of Spanish synonyms and antonyms. It has a wide variety of words and an extensive selection of synonyms and antonyms, which gives the student, reader or researcher an ample choice of alternate vocabulary. It does give reference to figurative and familiar usage and where possible countries where the particular word or words are used. The dictionary does not give examples of usage in sentence, which is vital to ensure that the reader understands how to use the word in the proper context. I would recommend this dictionary to strong intermediate students, advanced students, Spanish professionals and those who are pursuing independent study in Spanish. Overall, it's a handy reference and you will definitely expand your vocabulary by using it.

Wonderful Tool, August 14, 2006
This Thesaurus Sinonimos Antonimos E ideas afines it is a wonderful tool for writing, translating and word usage. Unlike regular dictionaries you just get the word in spanish or english or vice versa not much help.
On this Larousse edition you can even get regionalisms of Latin America and how one word can be used in many different ways.
Very pleased.
Thanks.
Mr. and Mrs. Pfriender

no me gusto mucho, September 24, 2005
Tiene muchos sin�nimos pero no explica las difencias de significado de los sin�nimos.

very useful, March 5, 2007
I used this quite a bit for writing papers in my Spanish compositions course. It's definitely worth the purchase if you are going to be writing a lot in Spanish.

Aceptable, August 27, 2007
Es lo que necesitaba, tiene algunas falencias pero en general lo recomiendo, me ha ayudado mucho.

Great source of sinonimos, May 13, 2007
I teach AP Spanish language and AP Spanish literature, and I bought this book as a present for each of my students before the exam. It is thorough enough for students, and it's relatively inexpensive. All of them will be minoring in Spanish at university, and I know they'll find it a useful tool--I certainly did.

R�pido y f�cil, September 15, 2008
Este producto para hispanohablantes es imprescindible. Es f�cil usar y se puede hojear en pocos minutos para hallar tu palabra mejor.

expanding your vocabulary, November 14, 2010
I love this book! It has endless amounts of words and it has been very useful for studying for the court interpreter exam. It provides the meaning of words in different countries.

Good dictionary!, July 7, 2008
It's a nice dictionary. The characters are pretty tiny, but despite the amount of words and the respective translations, it's fine.

Excelent!, March 20, 2006
In my opinion it is a complete book. It helps me a lot when I am writing texts. I can check the similar words and study at the same time. Very Good! ... Read more

Reviews

A Spanish-only dictionary for the rest of us, August 24, 2000
My wife (from Monterrey, Mexico) and I (from Dallas, Texas) needed a Spanish-only dictionary. I have an excellent Spanish-English dictionary (the American Heritage), but that didn't work too well for her, and I had progressed far enough that I needed one that didn't refer back to English. I first bought her a piece of junk (the Diccionario Practico De La Lengua Espanola Del Nuevo Mundo); nothing we looked up was already there! It became quite clear to us that this was the most fundamental dictionary; anyone who spoke Spanish didn't need it.

Fortunately, this dictionary saved us. While still not as extensive as we might like, it's comprehensive enough that nearly everything we look up is in there. I'm still looking for the truly comprehensive Spanish dictionary she wants, but this is quite serviceable.

Great because it's entirely in Spanish!, December 6, 2004
The reason I bought this book is because I believe that the best way for me to learn Spanish is without constant reference to English. Show me the word, give me the Spanish definition. Don't translate. I wanted a Spanish ONLY diccionario. All other dictionaries are really "translationaries." This is the only one of its kind I found and I love it and use it frequently.

Useful for advanced Spanish students, January 16, 2003
It was suggested to me by a Hispanic Studies professor that I pick up an all-Spanish dictionary. I wanted one light and portable enough to take to class. This one fit the bill. It has thousands of words, and the definitions are not so complicated that I have to resort to using my Spanish-English dictionary. A worthy purchase for your dictionary collection.

Spanish-Spanish dictionary, February 22, 2006
My granddaughter is taking advanced Spanish as an adult after living in Spain for a while. Her teacher insisted on this book and it is carried in her book bag as it is just the right size and very helpful

Un diccionario conveniente y útil, April 28, 2007
Se puede usarlo rápidamente y fácilmente. Este diccionario tiene casi todas las palabras que se necesita en una clase de español avanzada. Tengo diez copias en mi clase.
This is an excellent smaller dictionary for use in advanced Spanish courses. Make sure you understand that it is Spanish ONLY. An exceptional dictionary to keep handy for longer papers, but one that you probably would not want to carry back and forth to class, is El Larousse Pequeño Ilustrado. For students and translators that need an excellent bilingual dictionary for translation, I have seen nothing that compares with the Oxford Spanish Dictionary. I bought a used copy, and I could not be more happy. If anything happened to IT, I would pay full price to replace it immediately.

Tiny, tiny print - nececita buenos ojos, November 4, 2006
Well, I guess my title says it all. I needed a magnifying glass to read it, so I cannot comment on the contents. Melita

good , but could have been better, February 17, 2010
Drawbacks: The print is very small, so it is rather hard to read it in artificial light. There are some circular explanations.

Probably the best spanish pocket dictionary, September 30, 2006
I have been studying spanish for five years and have supplemented my study by reading at least 60 spanish books and although I own about 10 spanish dictionaries the one I use 90% of the time due to its size and reliability is el diccionario del espanol moderno. Es el mejor de todos.

Tiny print and yellowed pages, March 22, 2009
Athough the book is old and the print is tiny, the information is accurate and useable for my purposes.

Nice convenient size, September 10, 2008
I bought a used one and I didn't ask how old it was. It was printed in 1984 so there are probably a lot of newer words that are not in my edition, but I still think I will get a lot of use out of it and enjoy it. The print is rather small so for those that need reading glasses or are about to you may want to check that out in person before buying. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A convenient reference for words in both English and Spanish!

The Webster’s English-Spanish Dictionary is a greatresource weather in class or on the road, it is a quick and easy tool tofind the words you need.Half of the dictionary is an alphabetical listof English words and their Spanish translations, the other half is analphabetical list of Spanish words and their English translations! Compact in size any second language learner should carry this importantresource!

No one should be without a dictionary and our Backpack Dictionariesare designed in a compact size for easy travel.They are a must have for anystudent!Featuring commonly used words and an abundance of additionalinformation needed in school, every student should collect them all!

Reviews

Unimpressive, October 26, 2010
I purchased this dictionary to assist in my beginners Spanish course and surprisingly many basic words were not included in these pages.
Quite often, words that were included were misleading in explanation as well. Luckily, I have a language translation application on my phone which helped more often than this book ever could. ... Read more

Editorial Review

300 capsules clarifying the correct use of the Spanish language. It includes the most common errors made by Spanish speakers in the USA. With a refreshing and lively tone, and accompanied by illustrations, the North American Academy of the Spanish Language (ANLE) offers us this manual so that the Spanish language can survive without spanglish tarnishing it. The Academy also offers alternatives to those anglicisms.

Spanish Description:
300 capsulas aclarando el uso correcto del idioma espanol. Incluye los errores mas comunes que cometen los hispanohablantes en EEUU. Con un tono simpatico y acompanado de ilustraciones, la Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Espanola (ANLE) nos ofrece un manual para que el espanol sobreviva sin que el spanglish deteriore en EEUU. La ANLE nos da alternativa de uso de esos anglicismos. ... Read more

Reviews

A must have for all Spanish teachers!, June 9, 2010
This book, published by the Northamerican Academy of the Spanish Language, is bound to be an indispensable reference material for all Spanish teachers. Written entirely in Spanish, with humor interspersed throughtout, this text covers and clarifies a number of grammatical issues which have been troubling me over the last few years, especially with the use of Spanglish in the US. The Academy clarifies a number of troublesome spots for me. For example, do we say "vídeo" or "video"? When do we say "La gente entró." and "La gente entraron."? Which what's the difference between "Tener sexo" and "Tener relaciones sexuales"? My only reservation is that this book is in Spanish, making it quite difficult for beginning students. Nevertheless, this is a book for all teachers of Spanish in the US. Its an easy guide to use -- and fun to read at the same time. The special price offered by Amazon.com is well worth the expense!

How to improve your Spanish, July 13, 2010
Very well written, easy to read and extremely helpful for those who want to speak good Spanish and are forgetting some of its rules after many years living in an English-speaking country. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Esta es una version resumida de la gran Nueva Gramatica de la Lengua Española. La obra se articula en tres partes fundamentales: Cuestiones generales, donde se describen las partes de la Gramatica, las relaciones entre ellas y las unidades fundamentales del analisis gramatical. Morfologia, que analiza la estructura interna de las palabras. Sintaxis, que analiza las estructuras que se crean en funcion de la forma en que se ordenan y combinan las palabras. Durante 2010 esta prevista la publicacion del tomo de la fonetica y fonologia, que ira acompanado de un DVD con muestras de la pronunciacion del espanol en las diferentes zonas. Versiones de la gramatica La construccion de la Nueva gramatica se apoya en un amplio repertorio de textos de muy diversa indole (literarios, ensayisticos, cientificos, periodisticos y orales). La nomina de textos citados es una de las mas extensas de cuantas se hayan usado en un estudio lingüistico sobre el espanol. Para adecuarse a las distintas necesidades de sus destinatarios, se presenta en tres versiones: Nueva gramatica de la lengua espanola. Recoge el texto completo y detallado. Puede usarse como obra de consulta general y como texto de estudio en el nivel universitario. Manual. Un volumen de 750 paginas, conciso y didactico, dirigido especialmente a los profesores y estudiantes de espanol en los niveles no universitarios y a todos los hispanohablantes de nivel culto medio. Se presentara en el V Congreso de la Lengua Espanola. Gramatica basica. Un volumen de 250 paginas, pensado para el gran publico y facilmente adaptable al ambito escolar, que presenta, muy simplificados, los conceptos fundamentales. Aparecera a finales de 2010. El objetivo de las Academias es conseguir que la Nueva gramatica, en sus diferentes versiones, llegue a todos los hispanohablantes: a los usuarios y a los especialistas e investigadores; a los que tienen el espanol como primera o segunda lengua, y a los profesores de espanol en los diversos niveles academicos. ... Read more

Reviews

Muy recomendable, September 6, 2010
Finalmente, después de muchos años, aparece la nueva gramática de la lengua española, en un momento en que el español es, con el inglés y (en cierta medida) el chino, una lengua universal. La ventaja de esta gramática es que viene avalada por las 21 academias de la lengua, así que no es sólo una gramática del español peninsular (o castellano, como dicen por ahí), sino que es válida desde Argentina (hay varias secciones en torno al "vos", e incluso este aparece reflejado en las tablas de conjugación verbal) hasta Venezuela.
Muy recomendable como libro de referencia para todos aquellos interesados en la lengua española, y por supuesto, para estudiantes avanzados de español tanto en países hispanos como en otros.

Great theoretical description but not practical, October 7, 2010
This book contains a technical description of the Spanish language. Its dense paragraphs are filled with linguistic terms that do very little to help you use and apply the language. I have to give it 5 stars because it does what it sets out to do and would be of interest to theoretical linguists. If you're looking for a guide to usage you're out of luck. There are kernals of applicable knowledge in this tome but digging them out is hardly worth the effort.

Are you up on your Spanish grammar?, August 6, 2010
This book is not for the faint of heart. It is a complete and systematic Spanish grammar book. Not for beginners but for native speakers, intermediate or advanced language students.

great resource, August 16, 2010
easy to navigate through and compact (vs. the 2-volume hardcover). It is a great resource for those of us who teach Spanish! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

I recommend it, December 24, 2008
This is an exact copy of the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, it is just translated to Spanish. It is very helpful in your study, especially because there are not that many Bible dictionaries in Spanish. In case you also want to know about a Bible in Spanish I recommend these translations: La Biblia de las Americas (New American Standard Version) and Nueva Version Internacional ( New International Version) These translations are easier to understand than the Reina Valera (King James). However, if you want a Reina Valera Bible, La Biblia de Estudio MacArthur
ISBN: 978-0-8254-1538-8, is the way to go, it contains introductions and notes that makes it easier to understand each particular book of the Bible.

Great Value, April 27, 2009
Bought it for my son in-law who was looking for a Bible Dictionary. Not only a great value but an EXCELLENT Bible dictionary! The color pictures are a plus and so is the wealth of information. Would Highly recommend to anyone seeking a Great Bible Dictionary. BRAVO HOLMAN!!!

FABULOSO - FABULOUS, October 8, 2010
BUEN TAMA�O DE LETRA Y FOTOS, MUY BIEN HECHO. BUENO PARA ESTUDIAR.
VERY GOOD SIZE LETERS AND PICTURES, WELL DONE. VERY GOOD FOR STUDENTS.

magnificent book, June 7, 2009
i think that every cristian suold have one, there is a lots of information, helpful for all aspects of the bible, i love it.and the price, absoluted a bargen!

Excelente diccionario para el Cristiano., April 1, 2009
Es uno de los mejores diccionarios que hay en Amazon.com en realidad podria haber otro mejor pero este diccionario me agrado porque no solo tiene mas paginas de los que vi tambien tiene fotografias o algunas imagenes de las palabras y significados que buscas que no podria haber en otra clase de diccionario comun y corriente que no sea biblico,solamente el diccionario biblico es para la mayoria de las palabras que estan en la biblia y por supuesto para el estudio biblico. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The third edition of Cinema for Spanish Conversation includes the same stimulating exercises and conversation materials that have made the first two editions successful among students and instructors alike. The text is designed to be used in courses in which outstanding films from the Spanish-speaking world are used as springboards for classroom Spanish-language discussion. Using high-interest feature films, students hear Spanish as it is spoken in different countries and in a wide variety of situations and are encouraged to listen to and converse about the social and cultural aspects of Spanish-speaking countries around the world. Changes in the Third Edition:-Five new films: La misma luna, Arráncame la vida, Machuca, Flores de otro mundo, and Volver.-Five new readings with activities in the section Más allá de la pantalla for the five new films.-Introductory information about each film, its actors and directors, has been updated.-The exercises and activities have been re-assessed throughout and in some cases revised. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Este nuevo diccionario, que recoge el espanol mas vivo de Espana e Hispanoamerica, pone la ingente tarea lexicografica y normativa de la RAE al alcance del gran publico en una version actualizada, mas practica y sencilla, de su Diccionario de la lengua espanola. Esta llamado a convertirse en el diccionario de cabecera de toda la familia. Motivos por los que el libro debe ser un exito. Este nuevo diccionario ofrece: . El repertorio mas completo de su genero: - Mas de 55.000 articulos. - Mas de 118.000 acepciones. - Mas de 13.000 locuciones y expresiones. . El mas actualizado: recoge todas las novedades aprobadas por la RAE a 31 de julio de 2006, suprimiendo las voces desusadas y ajustandose a la doctrina expuesta en la Ortografia Y1999) y el Diccionario panhispanico de dudas (2005). ... Read more

Reviews

Awesome clarity and legibility, excellent ergonomics, July 2, 2007
Just coming from the bookstore I felt like writing a positive review about this book. In particular, I'd like to comment on how impressed I was at the clarity and legibility of the typography in this particular dictionary.

I own the "DRAE" (Diccionario de la Real Academia) in two volumes, small edition, also published by the "Real Academia Española". The small and narrow printing in that edition of the DRAE is truly aweful, making it really uncomfortable and uninviting -even painful- to use. This dictionary, on the other hand, and in my humble opinion, is a showcase of typographical clarity.

The paper used in this book is extremely smooth to the touch and very slightly smoked clear white. Letters are precisely imprinted over that smooth canvas using truly sharp black ink, providing excellent contrast. Absolutely no fuzzy/faint/smeared letters. Moreover, the letters are printed using a really nice type, and what is more, in a size particularly comfortable to read. This is such a fortunate combination of typographical variables, in my opinion not that common to find in dictionaries nowadays, regardless of language and publishing company.

The layout is not perfect though. The inner margins of pages could be wider. A narrow inner margin leaves text quite too close to the center of the book. So if the book is bulky enough like this one, it's not so easy to read the entries closer to the center of the book. You need to open it up further, enough to get the inner half of the page flatter in front of you to read it more comfortably. Not a huge deal here, but wider inner margins would have made this dictionary even better.

This dictionary is an "Essential" version of the Spanish language. So while it naturally might not have all the entries in the DRAE, it should have the most important and most useful entries (and then some.) Keep in mind, quite a few entries in the DRAE are actually regarded as useless (obsolete) even by professional writers. So the fact that this dictionary contains just an "essential" selection of the language makes it in my opinion quite an authoritative-enough generic Spanish dictionary, even in front of the DRAE.

But the main point in my review, I wish some of my other many dictionaries (both in Spanish and English) had been printed as nicely as this one, or at least even with a fraction of the combination of printing and typographical choices used in this book.

Thanks and congratulations to the Real Academia for such an improvement over the DRAE 2 vol small edition. This is a much more ergonomic and nicely readable dictionary. (Please don't forget slightly wider inner margins next time :-)

PS. I take the opportunity to recommend an awesome Spanish Usage dictionary, which is also wonderfully printed, a pleasure to use: "Diccionario de Uso del Español Actual CLAVE", Ediciones SM, Madrid, 2003.

Excelente Diccionario, November 3, 2007
Excelente Diccionario -- estoy muy contento con mi compra.
Este es el mejor diccionario de la lengua española que he tenido.
Es muy claro y muy fácil de leer -- de alta calidad.

Muy moderno -- la obra fue registrada en 2006,
pero la primera impresión fue distribuida en 2007-01-15.

En mi opinión, toda familia hispana debería tener una copia de este
diccionario en casa y en la oficina.

Este diccionario NO es un diccionario únicamente para los Españoles de España.
Es un diccionario para todo el mundo Hispano.

Quiero aclarar que, aunque este diccionario fue publicado por
la Real Academia Española, también han contribuido las respectivas academias
de la lengua en América Latina y Las Filipinas.

También, contiene bastante definiciones o notas para usos que son únicas
y específicas de los países de las Américas y las Filipinas.

Ademas, contiene bastante definiciones para palabras vulgares como por ejemplo:
-- chingadazo
-- chingadera
-- chingado
-- chingar
-- chingón

La siguiente lista de asociaciones (que participaron en esta obra)
se encuentra en el dorso del diccionario -- indicando la amplitud
de esta obra -- y su relevancia a nivel global.

La Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española:
=====
(1713) la Real Academia Española
(1871) la Academia Colombiana de la Lengua
(1874) la Academia Ecuatoriana de la Lengua
(1875) la Academia Mexicana de la Lengua
(1876) la Academia Salvadoreña de la Lengua
(1883) la Academia Venezolana de la Lengua
(1885) la Academia Chilena de la Lengua
(1887) la Academia Peruana de la Lengua
(1887) la Academia Guatemalteca de la Lengua
(1923) la Academia Costarricense de la Lengua
(1924) la Academia Filipina de la Lengua Española
(1926) la Academia Panameña de la Lengua
(1927) la Academia Cubana de la Lengua
(1927) la Academia Paraguaya de la Lengua Española
(1927) la Academia Boliviana de la Lengua
(1927) la Academia Dominicana de la Lengua
(1928) la Academia Nicaragüense de la Lengua
(1931) la Academia Argentina de Letras
(1943) la Academia Nacional de Letras del Uruguay
(1948) la Academia Hondureña de la Lengua
(1955) la Academia Puertorriqueña de la Lengua Española
(1973) la Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Española

En el dorso del diccionario se encuentran las siguientes notas:

"El léxico esencial y actual del Diccionario académico:
45,000 artículos
110,000 acepciones.

Incluye todo lo aprobado por la Real Academia Española
y la Asociación de Academias en los últimos cinco anos."

También, les recomiendo que visiten el sitio de la Real Academia Española (RAE)
donde encontraran una versión digital de mayor amplitud que contiene muchas
mas palabras y otros recursos -- el sitio se encuentra en: www.rae.es.
Por igual, el diccionario en linea también abarca la lengua española a nivel global.

No me lo esperaba..., March 13, 2009
El precio es bajo comparado con la alta calidad de presentacion e impresion. El tamano de letra es perfecto. Hasta el momento todas mis preguntas han sido respondidas. No necesitas mas.

Excelente, January 4, 2010
Las definiciones son claras y modernas. También me gusta que se hayan omitido las palabras arcaicas y que hayan colaborado las academias de prácticamente todos los países de habla hispana. Excelente publicación.

Best spanish dictionary, October 12, 2009
This is the best spanish dictionary hands down- written in Spain by the Academia Espanola.

Spanish from scratch!, September 14, 2009
I'm a brazilian person which is very interested in literature. I've been studying English for a good time already, and decided I should finally start studying Spanish. Before anything else, a good Spanish dictionary seemed essential. After weighing up several dictionaries , I thought the "Diccionario esencial de la lengua espanola de la Real Academia Espanola (Spanish Edition)" would be the best choice.
I'm sure it was a fortunate choice, for the book is beautiful, practical, strong and so on. I commend this book to everyone.

One of the BEST Spanish Dictionaries out there, November 13, 2008
It has very detailed information and it is way better than the other cheaper options in the market.What makes itbetter is that it contains "proper" or "correct" Spanish, NO CRAP! This is a very good investment. you won't be disappointed. But if you want the Ultimate Spanish Dictionary you have to get Diccionario de la Real Academia Espanola. This is a 2 volume disctionary and it goes for around $ 200. But this is an excellent investment

Diccionario Excelente!, September 5, 2007
Este diccionario es muy bueno! Despues de considerar varios diccionarios de la lengua española (incluyendo el DRAE) para comprar, llegue a la conclusion que este era el mejor. Uso este diccionario mayormente para mi estudio biblico ya que el diccionario biblico es limitado. Hasta el dia de hoy, no me arrepiento de la compra----he podido encontrar todas las palabras que busco. El tamaño de las letras es perfecto!

el mejor libro que te puedes comprar, September 7, 2007
soy un estudiante espanol en la universidad.investigue a todos los libros y este el el mejor libro que te puedes comprar.

Por toda la gente, October 27, 2007
que necesita aprender mejor o simplemente necesita un buen diccionario. Lo compre para usar en mi clase de espanol. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Created by authorities in ESL teaching, this 272-page book and 4-CD pack offers you the English you need to communicate in the US! Conversational English is a language-learning and language-practicing program containing more than 1500 expressions and dialogues that are used in a variety of every-day situations by people that live, work and grow in the United States. This program has the English you need to communicate! Thanks to a teaching method created specifically for people whose first language is Spanish, Conversational English offers what you cannot find anywhere else with this book you will learn, in a fast and simple manner, the most comprehensive list of expressions and verbal phrases used during daily living in the United States. Through precise explanations and translations, you will be able to understand, absorb and the program's content for life. With Conversational English you will have loads of fun while you learn the language and become familiar with the culture of the United States. The most advanced and content rich program for language learning today is presented through an animated visual design. Learning to speak English is a must!

Description in Spanish:

Ingles para conversar es un curso para aprender y practicar mas de 1500 expresiones y dialogos utilizados cotidianamente, en situaciones de la vida real, por personas que viven, trabajan y se desarrollan en los Estados Unidos. Es el ingles que necesita para conversar! Gracias a un metodo pedagogico creado para personas cuya primera lengua es el espanol, Ingles para conversar le ofrece algo que no encontrara en ningun otro curso de ingles: usted aprendera en muy poco tiempo y de forma muy sencilla la mas completa variedad de expresiones y frases verbales de uso cotidiano en Estados Unidos, mediante claras explicaciones y cuidadosas traducciones que le permitiran entender y asimilar el contenido del curso, de una vez y para siempre. Con ingles para conversar aprendera un idioma mientras se divierte y familiariza con la cultura de Estados Unidos. Este es el curso mas moderno y actual que existe para prender un idioma: practicos y completos contenidos presentados en un rico y animado diseno visual. Hablar bien ingles es imprescindible! El audio incluye: 4 Audio CDs. Tiempo total del audio: 5 horas. Cada CD contiene 10 unidades (30 en total). Enfasis en Expresiones, verbos y frases verbales. 1 Audio CD con los dialogos y conversaciones del curso adecuadamente teatralizadas y con efectos sonoros. 1 libro curso completo de 272 paginas. Creado por expertos profesores de ESL. Enfasis en el ingles hablado en Estados Unidos. El libro incluye: mas de 300 ilustraciones. mas de 100 ejercicios con auto correccion en la misma pagina. docenas de trucos para aprender ingles. mas de 100 conceptos fundamentales de uso practico del idioma. gran cantidad de notas culturales de Estados Unidos. mas de 800 dialogos en 30 capitulos de una apasionada historia que recrea situaciones del dia a dia de personas que viven en EEUU. mas de 700 palabras agrupadas en mas de 50 temas de vocabulario. mas de 500 frases verbales de uso comun en Estados Unidos. ... Read more

Reviews

Bastante bien., March 18, 2009
El libro tiene 30 unidades o lecciones. Cada una de ellas está formada por 5 secciones, a saber:
1.Diálogos--Varias personas dialogan acerca de diversos temas
2.Hablemos en Inglés--Diferentes expresiones de uso diario sacadas de los susudichos diálogos
3.Verbos y frases verbales--En primer lugar se enseñan varios verbos y sus principales significados. Luego, se enseñan los mismos verbos usados como frases verbales. Ejemplo: Go: Ir Go off: Sonar
4.Aumenta tu vocabulario--Vocabularios relativos a variados campos.
5.Practiquemos--Son ejercicios sobre la lección dada.

Algo bueno de este curso es que todo su contenido está traducido al español en el mismo libro además de en los audio CD's. Los audio CD's contienen el texto íntegro del libro, aunque siguen un orden distinto. Yo pienso que es un curso bastante bueno y que, si uno se dedica a ello puede mejorar bastante su inglés. Previamente a este curso es mejor saber algo del inglés, por ejemplo, tener el nivel básico superado.
Cuantas más veces se lea el libro y se escuchen los CD's, tanto mejor para uno mismo.
¡Adelante! El Señor contigo.
... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Great price, August 27, 2010
I purchase the product in amazon at a very good price, better even than mexico stores... And the content is not as it use to be , the quality of the paper, the maps are a little blurry :( , etc... but is a good thing to have . ...

Arrived like a work of art!, February 18, 2010
The book arrived in excellent time and was everything I hoped for. It is a beautiful book. Thanks very much for your promptness. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A lo largo de los siglos, hombres y mujeres han sido arrastrados porel inevitable impulso de poseer a quien parece ostentar el sentidode la vida. Y de esta atracción impetuosa no se libran los grandesforjadores del destino de una nación, ¿qué apetitos y obsesionessirvieron de causa para algunos de los protagonistas de la historiade México?Con su singular estilo, donde confluyen una rigurosa investigación yla maestría narrativa, Francisco Martín Moreno hurga en la memoriade nuestro país y se adentra en un viaje íntimo hacia el corazón y laalcoba de la monja, el dictador, el revolucionario, el político reformador,el emperador y el líder de la Independencia.Un libro provocador que revela la condición humana y su inevitablerendición ante la pasión amorosa. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

El mejor libro de estrategia de todos los tiempos. Inspiró a Napoleón, Maquiavelo, Mao Tse Tung y muchas más figuras históricas. "La mejor victoria es vencer sin combatir". ... Read more

Reviews

No solo de guerra, June 7, 2010
Este libro, aunque su enfoque es la guerra, cuando se analiza de una forma mas profunda el lector llega a la conclucion de que trata el tema de la vida en general. Cuando termin� de leer este libro mi concepcion de la guerra cambio por completo. Nunca imagin� que pod�a, de una forma objetiva, ser convetida en un arte. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Antonio Machado is widely regarded as the greatest twentieth century Spanish poet. Machado's poetry is like his contemporary Rilke: it iis intensely introspective and meditative. In this collection, we offer a collection of some of his poems in Spanish, which hopefully provide an assessment of Machado's work. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Building on Dicho y hecho's strong 25-year tradition, this eighth edition now incorporates an unwavering focus on authentic communication. It offers the most thorough and varied practice of vocabulary of any text available today. Thematic vocabulary is presented visually and contextually and then activated through multiple, progressive phases of application that range from identification in the chapter opening art scenes to personal expression and situational conversations. ... Read more

Reviews

A bad book in *so* many different ways, March 8, 2010
I learned Russian at the Defense Language Institute and worked as a professional translator for the Soviets. I've also studied other languages. My research now involves neuroscience, so I take a keen interest in the neuroscience of learning.

Coming from this background, I can say with certainty that this is a very, very, very bad book at virtually every level.

First, the dialogs are not given in the conventional "Listen, then repeat" mode. They're just read straight through. That means you get no practice in repeating, and internalizing, sentences. Unless, of course, you're willing to go find a way to make a new recording for yourself that has a pause.

Then, the dialogs are written ONLY in Spanish. This means you are only building your one-way capability of understanding Spanish. (Although sometimes you don't even do that, because it's unclear what the Spanish means.) You do not build your ability to translate from English INTO Spanish. The authors apparently assume that will come naturally, but that is NOT how the brain works. You've got to practice both from Spanish to English and English to Spanish if you want to learn the language well.

Then, the vocabulary lists are written so that the English translation is directly next to the Spanish word. This makes it hard to go and check whether you can remember how to translate the vocabulary words. You have to rewrite the vocabulary lists in both English and Spanish if you want to do this--an enormous waste of time that a better book would have helped you with.

Moving on to the recordings, one of the speakers speaks so faintly that it's very hard to even hear her.

The page layout is awful--busy, vivid use of color that doesn't make sense. (For example, you can't find a chapter by the edge color of the page, because every chapter is has all sorts of colors at the edge of the page.) Moreover, on the rare occasions when there are translations of phrases, with Spanish on one side and English on another--the translations switch sides every few phrases! This, again, makes it difficult to check yourself as you're working through the text, because just as you get used to the Spanish being on one side, it switches to the other.

The cost of the book and recordings is stratospheric. Yet much of it is simply gimmickry meant to make it look like you're getting value for your dollar when you're not. For example, having the ability to check your understanding of vocabulary on-line sounds great. Until you realize that it's multiple choice. Multiple choice is EASY! And it's very different than flat out knowing a vocabulary word.

An asset of the book is that it has Spanish speakers from a variety of Spanish-speaking countries, and it also has information about the many different Hispanic cultures. Maybe that's why my university made the mistake of choosing this book. But these very few nice attributes don't make up for this book's many deep-rooted flaws. If you are an instructor, please DO NOT select this book. If you are a student, be aware that you'll have to go way above and beyond if you truly want to learn the language.

A helpful yet childish book, May 1, 2010
I was required to use this book in two introdution courses to Spanish, and although it was used heavily in both classes I felt like the material was not only inconsistently placed throughout the book but was not a college-level textbook. I was constantly scrambling through the book looking for one section or another, whether it be on stem-changes or just discussing the Spanish and Latin cultures, and I always ended up struggling to keep a linear approach to studying with the book. It is filled with information, and most of it is applicable to intro-level courses. But one good thing can't outweigh how the book made me feel like I did when I took Introduction to Spanish in middle school. Yes, I suppose the simpler and less mature the better for some, but I just lost a lot of interest in the Spanish language because this book was so aggrivating. As well as having too many unneccessary, tedious tasks to do while you flip through the chapters, it contained too little explanation into why things are the way they are or how it makes sense. I decided to ultimately finish my Spanish language studies at another school and ditch this book, as well as the crummy foreign language department that crammed this thing down our throats. Buy it if you must.

Good Start for Beginners, September 13, 2009
This text book is a good start for anyone looking to begin speaking Spanish. The CDs are a great tool as well in order to help you understand through audio cues and lessons as well.

feels like an attention-deficit book to me, March 4, 2010
I'm taking Spanish classes with this book and Plazas [conversational and regular Spanish, respectively] and I like Dicho y hecho less than the other book. Maybe I'm too old - both books seem designed to entertain to the extent that they seem to inhibit my ability to learn Spanish from them; but Dicho y hecho seems like the more scattered book. I have to wade thru so much stuff to find the new Spanish info in the chapters. Also, the Index is skimpy, and it often doesn't have the subject I'm looking for.

For beginners, September 26, 2009
I will be using this book over two semesters and I'm off to a great start! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Esta obra le permite al estudiante con poco o mucho conocimiento del hebreo o del griego, estudiar el significado de las palabras bíblicas en su idioma original.